FROM CHANGANACHERRY, WITH LOVE
appa, sat back in his rocking chair. he was very relaxed. he had just received a call from his daughter in maryland, usa. she was joining him and her mother chinnu for a month's vacation soon. "goodness me. ". he said to himself. lots of laughter. non stop chatter by his daughter and her two children, a walk on the riverbank in the evenings and of course a mighty spread of his wife's culinary expertise on the table, three times a day till his daughter goes back to USA.
chandrasekharan nair -appa- was excited. "chinnu", he called out. "my beer please". "mintu is coming home.is n't she"?. chinnu could read his mind. she knows appa like the back of her palm. she knows he gets excited only rarely; only when her children come home or when india is winning a cricket match. "i get you your drink". she said loud, from the kitchen.
appa sat with his chilled beer. he drank the first glass fast. the second one went in a jiffy too. the third was not too slow either. and soon, he was in that happy world of his own.
two decades is not too long, he now knows. mintu, his elder daughter, took her degree in engineering and was keen on her higher studies abroad. she was fortunate- took her masters from michigan and got a fine job and settled down. she found her partner in life on her own. another nationality, another culture and a totally different society. but it was her choice. she was happy. appa always wanted his children to take their own decisions.he did not ever interfere. he wanted them to think outside the box. never wanted them to be just a face in the crowd.
the younger one neena did well too. she majored in science and joined her sister in america.she took her masters and started teaching in the same college where she studied.
god has been exceptionally kind to me, he used to say. he had no problems either, or he found solutions. his wife was happy too.
appa has great regards for keralites working abroad. be it america, europe, australia, anywhere. what appa likes most about the keralites is their adaptability. a keralite can get used to any situation, any country, any culture and any food habit. no wonder a keralite is at home ; be it in europe at a dinner table with continental food served or wearing a thai dress or speaking spanish in madrid. with that burning desire to live well, they gatecrash any where and be a part of the system without much fuss.
the nostalgia, a keralite enjoys is exceptional. he loves his native festivals.he looks for the best in traditional dresses, cooks the best of native foods and be with friends exchanging pleasantries. so a vacation in his homeland is a time to cherish. he lives it up.
keralites are a special breed in many ways, appa thinks. he loves his place of birth. he loves his family and comes home at every opportunity. this love for the family has made the state prosperous; for it is the money he sends home that helps many families live decent lives. now, with the communication so simple,easy and inexpensive he is in touch with his family at the click of a mouse. kerala, as the tourism department says, is "god's own country". appa laughs sarcastically. "it is god's own country , alright. but never god's own people". appa feels. and he has reasons. keralites within kerala are at times led by a queer philosophy that often tolls death knell to the state."we have everything, -educated people, natural resources and everything that is required to make it truly "god's own country". but we love to live in poverty in the midst of plenty. most of our 44 rivers have dried up.our roads are not easily motorable.water transport is almost non -existent. electricity inspite of the many hydro electric projects is palpably inadequate.we hardly have industries worth any mention. appa is disturbed. "our anxiety begins and reaches a crescendo by the middle of each month because if the remiittances from abroad fail by a day or two payments cannot be made". some toil, some others enjoy the fruits of the toil". appa is hurt by our attitude.
"i have always worked very hard, all my life. i still do". he pointed his right index finger to the five hectres of land he was cultivating.
"i know appa. you say this every time you drown your third beer. you and your land".chinnu pretended annoyance.
"i know i loosen up after a few beers. but i open my heart only in front of you, chinnu". appa was apologetic.
the lady smiled. she in fact was very proud of her husband.
chandrasekharan nair was an honest, hard working government servant. he had served his department-notorious for malpractices and corruption- judiciously. the only complaint his co-workers ever had about him was that he was too upright a man to be a government official. he had never accepted any bribes. no recommendations welcomed. his motto was "justice to all; irrespective of caste and creed". he took decisions by himself and held himself accountable. never ever passed the buck so that he could be safe. none above him could undermine his grace and poise. on his retirement day, as the registrar general, many wept, literally. he had brought in a system in the department whereby ordinary citizens could easily the assesss the progress of their files. the long wait in the office and the anxiety regarding files vanished during his tenure. chandrasekharan nair was appa-father- to all. people in the locality came to him for advice on many things. that included land disputes, money borrowings, marriage councelling,
and you name it.he was a superb judge. he was also an agriculturist of repute. from vegetable gardens to medicinal herbs, he had all kinds of plants. he also had a poultry farm. also a hand in pissiculture.he assisted small time farmers with seeds, advice on organic farming, composting and helped them financially too.
"god has given me plenty" he used to say. "if i dont share it with the needy, it is a crime. and i must share my knowledge with my people". chinnu always stood by him.
appa went back to his thoughts again."we keralites have two faces" he said to himself; "the rebellious, haughty, arrogant keralite fighting for everything back home in kerala.the other keralite living outside his native land adapts to different living conditions, language, culture ,earns a name for himself with dedication, application and a high level of intelligence". appa could not understand why this happened?
he salutes a few outstanding keralites who belong to the second category. came the name of dr.swaminathan, the father of green revolution in india. appa remembers the 60s when america sent shiploads of wheat to india free of cost to overcome famine here. few realised that it was no favour. most of it were not good enough for even cattle feed.dr.swaminathan changed the entire scenario. today it is self sufficient in food production. then the king of white revolution dr. verghese kurien ,better known as amul kurien for the "amul" brand of milk and milk products. the once sleepy village of khaira in gujarat is a pilgrim spot for students and heads of co-operative societies.dr.kurien taught the poor illiterate men and women the art of sophisticated dairying. amul kurien changed the lives of many thousand villagers. then there is the konkan railway chief e.sridharan who presently heads the prestigious delhi metro.dr.madhavan nair, the space research chief is another extra ordinary keralite.
there are many more, appa knew. how could these people make names for themselves appa thought. firstly they are exceptional leaders. secondly they are recognised and are given free hand to execute their projects. but the most important factor is that they are not living in kerala, in 'god's own country'.
"another beer please, chinnu". appa was very excited. he was thinking about the great keralites who made their marks in life.he folded his hands and held them in front his chest and prayed for their welfare; in fact he prayed for all keralites living outside kerala. had it not been for them, there would have been no kerala in the world map.he knew they represented the great traditions of the state and its culture the world over. he stood up. saluted the imaginary hoard of keralites standing in front of him.
"Appa, again", chinnu walked upto him knowing fully well that he would hug and kiss her in that mood. she was right again. he hugged her.kissed her on her cheeks.
as he stretched on his sofa he prayed again for the success of keralites striving hard to change the world.
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